.TODD
ANNARUMMO MAKES IT A FAMILY AFFAIR
AT SEEKONK SPEEDWAY.
Local Racer Captures
Second VMRS Career Wins.byDenise DuPont

The
Valenti Modified Racing Series (VMRS) made their second 20130 visit to
Seekonk Speedway Saturday, August 17th. The speedway currently holds the
distinction of being the longest continually operated race track in the
United States, opening its gates in 1946. And when the fans fill the
grandstand and the engines start to roar, you know why Seekonk has been
around so long. Then when the Modifieds engines generate echoes off of the
cement grandstands, the true meaning of why modifieds are called ground
pounders is well understood. Racing on the track is very fast, so if you
blink you definitely will miss a lead change or two.

This year the VRMS crowned its seventh different August Seekonk Speedway
race winner. And as the checkered flaps flew, it was none other than the
home town favorite Todd Annarummo who captured his second series career
victory. “It is always nice when you can win at your own track. This win was
a big family affair and I could not do it without my dad and all my
sponsors. I just wanted to get out front and run my race. It was going to
take a lot to beat me and it was probably to have been in the infield.
Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday and this one is for her!”

“It was a good night and it was what we planned on.” said Annarummo from
Victory Lane.” All I had to do was execute and get it done. I wanted lead to
100 laps and that was my goal. After a rough start in fourth place, I
finally got a bottom restart. I restarted in seventh and I was up to second
in like three laps. The car was just really, really good on the bottom.
Steve Masse was going to pass me on the outside but he was not going to get
under me. I was letting him race and go around me if he wanted. Steve and I
have had our run-ins but we are pretty good friends and I know I can race
him good. I like racing with him a lot.”

Seekonk’s 1/3rd mile oval track fast and leaders catch up to lapped traffic
very early in the race. So the leader has to stay focused not only on the
challenges from behind but also where he is going. When Annarummo came up to
lapped traffic it was obvious that he had to do what he could to get through
them while keep one eye on behind. But what went through his mind as he
approached the rear of the field of cars? “Not again! Two races so far this
year here lapped traffic cost me wins here. I was thinking not again and was
very patient this time. I knew I had to deal with the cars behind me, but I
had to deal with the cars in front of me first.”

Steve
Masse started the race fourteenth and used lapped traffic to his advantage
to take over second spot on lap 80. He then went forward to challenge
Annarummo for the lead trying both the top and bottom of the track. Unable
to get around Annarummo, Masse settled for a second place finish in the end.
“Todd knows this place real well. I knew that if I could not get him on the
outside, I was not going to be able to get him at all. We had something for
him after the restarts and we were right there on his outside but I just
could not make it happen. I will take second place to Todd here. This is his
home track.”

Masse started out the 2013 race season with a win at Waterford and has been
running very strong. The team has a positive attitude and a strategy that
has helped them get through the many ups and downs dealt to them this year.
“Ourstrategy for tonight was to: go fast, turn left and then pass as many
cars as we could. I think that my car was a little bit better than
Todd’s,
so if I had gotten out in front of him…But he had track position on me and
that is equally as important and that is why he won the race.”

Richard Savary had his sights on a win at Seekonk. But his car has issues
and with that added disadvantage, he was unable to attain his goal, but
rather settled for a third place finish. “It was a good race. I had a
problem with the clutch slipping right from the second restart. So because
of that I had to just watch these guys race in front of me. Hopefully we
will do much better the next time. “

The #9 team of Tommy Barrett started the season looking like they may have
the magic combination to unlock a win at every race. The end result may not
be a win for every race, but Barrett does have two wins to his credit this
year and several top five finishes. Running second in points the team has
strived to do what they can to go for the 2013 VMRS
Championship.
“Obviously it was not what I wanted,” said Barrett after the race. “I wanted
to get in the podium – number one. We changed the setup a lot because the
last time that we were here the car was just awful. So we switched it and
all we can do is try to get it better.”

So finishing fourth may not have been what the team wanted but it kept them
in contention for the point chase. “I do not think that our finish tonight
really hurt us. I started second and I rode around in the top three then the
top four and the car just got tighter and tighter so I pitted after that
first caution. I came back out and the car was still tight, tight, tight… I
pitted again and they made a stagger adjustment and the car was a little
better, so now we know what we want. I will take a fourth place finish. We
beat Rowan and we both finished first in our heat I caught up with him a
little bit in our
point
standings and that is kind of what matters right now. We now need to keep
getting those top five, and consistent finishes. “

Veteran racer Louie Mechalides has had his share of wins here at Seekonk and
he knows right from the start of the race what he needs to deliver the win.
He knew his car was just not where it needed to be for the top spot, but he
knew what he had to do to stay with the leaders and point chasers. ”The car
was good all day. Everybody raced hard and fifth is where we ended up and
that is about all we had a fifth place car. This track is a really good with
two groove racing and finishing fifth was what we had for a race car at the
end.
The #79 of Max Zachem has qualified well, started out front, run with the
leaders but in the end has been short of the elusive 2013 VMRS win. The team
continues to deal with the challenges and someday their win will come. But
at Seekonk Zachem start sixteenth and made it up to sixth once slot shy of a
top five. “I had a great car. I cannot thank my crew enough, all the guys
from the MSIII race team. Todd Szegedy, Phil Moran and all my guys here. It
has been a lot of hard work but we just need a little luck. We had a top
five run going at Waterford and had it taken from us. We will take a six
here the way our year has been. We will go on to Thompson and see what
happens. “

The VMRS teams will return to racing on Thursday August 22nd for 75 laps of
green racing as the Chase for the Tenth Year VMRS Championship continues at
Thompson International Speedway.